Last week at the Capitol Theatre was amazing! A huge thank you to David Bromberg and his band for having me on to open the night, the incredibly enthusiastic and receptive audience who gave me and my music a very warm welcome, and the stellar staff at the Capitol Theatre. Stay tuned, because we have even more awesome things lined up for 2015!

Tampa's arts and entertainment publication Creative Loafing knows where you should be this Thursday night - at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater, FL! Zach opens the night at 7:30, followed by the man himself, David Bromberg. Get your tickets now at rutheckerdhall.com!

Don't miss Zach kicking off the night with a solo acoustic performance on one of the most historic and storied stages in the area! For more information, and to get your tickets for the show, visit rutheckerdhall.com.

Something awesome for you all - the official Might Be The Rain album lyric book is now available as a free download! Big thanks to the incomparable Brad Kingett, who did all the album artwork in the book. If you guys dig it, leave us your feedback, and be sure to head over to BradKingett.com to see more of Brad's work!

Check out the offical album artwork for Might Be The Rain ! Big thanks to one of my best friends and long-time collaborator Brad Kingett for designing the album cover. To see more of Brad's work, head over to bradkingett.com to view his illustrations, photography, and more!

Greetings, all! Today we released the first single from Might Be The Rain, and as an added bonus, we're giving it away as a free download! Click the button on the right of the site and get yourself some new music!

From Frankie, Ali, Frank, myself, and everyone on the ZCB team, we're very excited to share this first tune with you, and we want to thank you guys for your continued support. Be sure to stay tuned because we have a lot of awesome news and announcements coming in the next few weeks!

Hey all! We are gearing up to enter the studio in two weeks to record the new album Might Be The Rain. The eight-song LP will be released in early 2014, but in the meantime, make sure you sign up for the mailing list - you'll get all kinds of announcements and news, in-studio photos and videos, release dates for the first single and music video, and a whole bunch of other goodies like free downloads of new tracks! Keep your eyes peeled for more updates in the next few weeks!

So my friend local singer/songwriter Michael J Weiss﻿ has a new album out called "Grounded", and this is one of my favorite songs from it. Check out the original version of Moving Targets and more of Mike's music at http://www.michaeljweiss.com!

Sure, it elicits a chuckle, but to musicians like myself, it also invokes aggravation and disbelief. The music industry has morphed and devolved (note I didn't say "evolved" because that implies positive growth) into what amounts to a cesspool of self-absorbed self-important yet totally talentless and idiotic "artists" who can't make a bowel movement without someone else planning it for them down to the letter. It used to be rich with talent - Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, CCR, the list goes on. But over the last decade or so, it has shifted to consist of almost exclusively plastic, brain-dead pop artists who can't play an instrument, can't write music, and can't sing without the help of auto-tune or just flat out lip-syncing (Yeah, Britney, everyone knows and yet they still pay to come see your concerts.)

I've independently funded, written, recorded, and promoted three albums in the last five years. No team of writers and producers, no major label funding, no marketing and PR gurus. Just a grassroots approach, and I know countless other talented indie artists doing the same. I have notebooks filled with songs I've written in the 12 years I've been writing music, I have my BA in journalism and my MA in writing. And yet Beyonce and countless other hacks - individuals lacking enough talent to move them past the classification of "mediocre" at absolute best - are hailed as geniuses. They ask $100+ per ticket to their concerts. They're making millions of dollars, selling millions of albums, and really believe they are deserving and mega-talented. And we allow this to happen?

Case in point, Kanye West. Consistently and annoyingly praised as a lyrical genius. Let's take a look at some of his genius lyrics.

- Don't try to treat me like I ain't famous, my apologies, are you into astrology cos I'm tryin' to make it to Uranus

- When I pull up and park the Benz we get this s**t shakin' like Parkinson's

Pathetically, the list goes on. Kanye West is a dimwitted egomaniac who has received way more than he has ever deserved. But he believes his own hype. And by not standing up and demanding better, not calling a spade a spade and saying "No thanks, give me something with some more substance,", the general population has afforded him the ability to believe he is head and shoulders above everyone else.

The question is, what are you going to do about it? That's right, I'm asking YOU. Because if you're reading this, then you are obviously surfing the internet for music. And that means you have the power to choose. We're here, there are plenty of us indie artists writing, recording, performing, and working our tails off to get our music out there for you guys to hear. Help us. Support us. Give us your time and love and we will pay you guys back tenfold. Give my music a listen. Maybe it won't be your cup of tea, but maybe you'll know someone who would dig it. Maybe you'll keep poking around and find someone else that you really love. But make a choice to ignore the brain-dead mainstream crap, and dive into our world. You might just be surprised by what we have to offer.

Butterflies Radio has been a great supporter of my music, and currently has five of my songs in rotation on the station. This week they just added an oldie but goodie - Deep Blue Sea, from my first album "Body & Soul" - to the rotation on their New Music Monday segment.

I currently have three songs in the Top Requested list, so head over to their site, keep the requests coming, and let's see if we can get all five in the Top Requested list! And support indie music and the folks that keep it alive, like Butterflies Radio!